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911 Program

The Minnesota statewide 911 program provides immediate access from all telephones to critical public safety services. The 911 program has been administered by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) since 2003

Minnesota's 911 program

The Minnesota statewide 911 program provides immediate access from all telephones to critical public safety services. The 911 program has been administered by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) since 2003. It provides:

  • Technical assistance to the cities and counties implementing, maintaining and improving 911 systems
  • Oversight of system standards
  • Collection of a statewide fee, which is deposited into the 911 Special Revenue Fund 

 

The 911 Special Revenue Fund is used for:

  • Statewide 911 program
  • Wireline telephone company costs to connect to the 911 network
  • 911 public safety answering point (PSAP) equipment and dispatch proficiency expenses
  • ARMER backbone maintenance and operation costs
  • Minnesota’s interoperability program
  • Statewide Emergency Communications Board (SECB)

Transitioning from the current system to NextGen911

Communications technology has changed significantly since the nation’s 911 system was first introduced in 1968. Since that time, the methods that 911 callers use to access emergency services have shifted away from landline phones to wireless devices capable of voice, text and multimedia communication. Though the current 911 system has served the nation well for decades, it has reached the limit of what it can do. It simply can’t take advantage of new technologies that will bring greater speed, accuracy and efficiency in the ability to route, process and act upon requests for emergency assistance.

Minnesota’s NextGen911 transition is currently in progress. When fully deployed, it will introduce new features and functionality that we can only dream of today. Once the key components of the new system are in place, Public Safety Telecommunicators (PSTs) across the state will be able to receive, analyze and act upon information obtained from a wide variety of sources beyond traditional landline and cellular telephones. NextGen911 will allow PSTs to interact with devices such as computers, smart sensors, alarm systems, vehicle telematics, smart speakers, medical devices and more.

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